


to lose time in paradise

by i_was_human



Series: forged from flame [7]
Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Dragon Riders, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, No Beta, Promises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29795061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: The Unity Ceremony has long-since been a way to ensure peace between the four nations - though, as of late, there have only been three kings performing it.It's the first time in hundreds of years that four will be involved, and Dongho's handling this perfectly.
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Kang Dongho | D.Min & Kim Daehyun & Lee Minsoo
Series: forged from flame [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981847
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	to lose time in paradise

"Wow."

Dongho stares up at the ceremonial gazebo, a faint sense of _awe_ peeking at the corner of his mind. "That sure is... big."

"It's great!" Minsoo beams, bounding forwards to sling an arm over his shoulders. "Hey, hey, do you like the purple!"

Dongho squints, and sure enough, there's a few purple cloths mixed in among the gold and scarlet and silver. It's... touching? In a strange sort of way?

"It's nice," he agrees, and Minsoo beams impossibly brighter.

Honestly, he shouldn't be surprised the Northern King is this excited. It's the first Unity Festival in hundreds of years, after all, and Minsoo's clearly taking his role as party planner seriously.

That doesn't mean it isn't oddly funny.

"Dongho-hyung!" someone calls, and Dongho and Minsoo turn just in time to face a robe-clad Jaewon, his hair a mess and a baby coatl chewing on his sleeve.

Of course.

"Jaewon-ah..." Dongho sighs, striding over to detach the coatlet from his clothing. "You shouldn't mess up your ceremonial robes..."

"Look at him!" Jaewon insists, raising the baby coatl in his hands as if that explains everything. "He's so _small_!"

He is, in fact, quite small.

Still.

"Hyung!" someone cries, and Dongho turns to see Daehyun stumbling towards them, his glasses askew and his damp hair stuck to his face. "Ah- Jaewon-hyung!"

"What's wrong?" Jaewon asks, leaning forwards to dump the coatlet into Dongho's arms. And, okay, Dongho _still_ does not know how to hold these? He doesn't know what's soft and what's feathery and what he's supposed to grab, since the only dragons they have back home are very vicious and _really_ like the taste of human flesh, so _how_ does he hold this coatlet?

Minsoo must see his internal dilemma since he laughs, reaching over to scoop the baby dragon from Dongho's arms. "Imagine what the others would say if they saw you... the big bad Western King afraid of a coatlet..."

He trails off, thoroughly occupied with stroking the coatlet's nose, and Dongho sighs, leaning back to stare up at the sky.

It's so _different_ from the sky back home. There's no black, no gray, no silver, just... blue. Endless, twinkling, shining blue.

Dongho doesn't quite know how to feel about that.

"Why're you afraid of them?" Minsoo teases, lifting the coatlet closer. "It's just a little ball of feathers and love..."

The coatlet sneezes, and Dongho jolts, taking a few steps away from the baby dragon. "It sneezes _fire_."

"It's just a baby!"

"How are you not afraid of the fire dragon?"

"It's a baby," Minsoo repeats, reaching over to tap the coatlet's nose. "It's _cute_."

"...mhm."

"You are _no fun_."

* * *

It's no small source of shame to Dongho that he doesn't know any of the traditional Western dances.

Though, to be fair, none of his delegation do. 

They held a small meeting before the ceremonial dance time was set to start, and neither the Republicans nor the Monarchs could figure out what their dances were (though Dongho doesn't doubt the Republicans would lie to see him make a fool of himself) so in the end, he just recites an apology in his head and opts to wing it.

How perfectly this is going.

It's not as if they have many things they can show in place of a dance, either. Daehyun's delegation has water tricks, Minsoo's does ice-shaping and ice-skating, Jaewon's does painting and weaving and tricks of the art, and what can Dongho's do?

Stab stuff.

That's all they do. Stab things and argue.

Well. That, and gratuitous amounts of arson.

Still, arson isn't exactly a marketable skill, so when it comes time for them to present their dance, Dongho simply bows and explains that no, he really doesn't know what their dances are, and Daehyun just hops out of his dais and grabs his hand, a bright smile on his face.

"Then let's just have fun!"

Funny how Dongho can hear his advisor's collective aneurisms from here.

Still, he lets Daehyun lead a dance anyways, and as the strings play a jaunty tune, Daehyun leaps and twirls and pulls Dongho along with him, his bubble-like laughter filling the space until more and more people join in. It's odd, the sounds of dozens of shoes tapping against cobble all at once, and Dongho can't say he's ever heard anything so _rhythmic_ of this sort, but Daehyun's leading and twirling and laughing, and so Dongho follows suit. 

He doesn't think he minds not knowing the past.

Not if this is the future.

The song ends, and Daehyun drags him to the side, Jaewon and Minsoo filtering out of the crowd and coming to join them. Together, they watch their delegations dance until sunset - flowing robes mixed with combat gear, light tunics mixed with snowy parkas - and for the moment, it really does feel like the _Unity Festival_.

It's nice.

It's nice, not being alone.

* * *

The Unity Ceremony itself is yet another aspect of the festival Dongho's unfamiliar with.

He's studied it - studied it all but religiously, in fact - but that doesn't mean he knows the particular idiosyncrasies of the ceremony. How do they pledge? What will the sunset show? Why does it have to be in this specific gazebo with the glass at this exact angle?

He may be just a bit nervous.

Jaewon's hand finds his just before the officiant steps up, and he gives him a reassuring squeeze - a silent _it'll be okay_ contained in nothing more than a small motion.

That's Jaewon, he thinks - a reassurance contained in nothing more than a small motion.

They take their positions around a raised dais, and as the officiant clears his throat, Dongho can barely stop himself from gasping.

The setting sun shoots through the four-colored glass, painting them all in their colors and casting the rippling water in shades of _silverredgoldviolet_. It flickers and ripples with the gentle breeze, and Dongho's so distracted by the beauty of the water that he almost misses the first vow.

"As the Northern King," Minsoo starts, placing his hand in the center of the pedestal, "I promise to stand strong against the forces of tyranny, to protect the four kingdoms from the threat of the north, and to fight only alongside my allies for as long as I shall live."

"As the Eastern King," Jaewon picks up, placing his hand over Minsoo's, "I promise to bring light and beauty to all four kingdoms, to keep the peace through words instead of harsh actions, and to fight only alongside my allies for as long as I shall live."

"As the Southern King," Daehyun continues, placing his hand on top of the stack, "I promise to bring life to all four kingdoms, to carry the stories of our past into the future, and to fight only alongside my allies for as long as I shall live."

Dongho stares at the pile for a moment, running over the words in his head once more before adding his hand. His hand must shake with nerves - it _must_ \- but thankfully, none of the others comment.

Can they comment? 

Does that break some kind of rule?

"As the Western King," he starts, "I promise to protect the darkness as much as the light, to bring safety to all four kingdoms, and to fight only alongside my allies for as long as I shall live."

It takes a monumental amount of force to stop himself from collapsing as soon as the last word leaves his mouth, and the officiant must notice, based on the way his brow ticks up as he flips the page.

"As four directions become one," he reads, "so too do the four kingdoms. The Unity Ceremony is now complete, and may any who break this vow have a curse of one thousand years placed upon their nation."

He steps back, and the crowd breaks into cheers as Minsoo drags all four of them into a hug. 

This is nice, Dongho thinks, letting Minsoo ruffle his hair and listening to Daehyun's bright laughter.

This is nice.

**Author's Note:**

> fic title from paradise by eric nam
> 
> please leave a comment if you enjoyed! :D
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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